Steven -. Supply Chain Operator

Hi Joshua,

The Army isn't really a 'standard job', but does reflect it once you're trained.

No matter your role, the Army supports family life and many serving have families: you'll get your own house (Service Families Accommodation), support for education, and when you're not on exercise or operations the working hours are pretty similar to a 9-5 job.

Times you won't get to see your family much:

• Basic Training - This is probably the toughest part as far as separation goes. There will be very few opportunities to leave to see your family because you're under a demanding training schedule. Opportunities exist (like the halfway point, or over holidays), but weekends off are at training staff discretion and tend to only be permitted toward the end of training. You will be able to call your family most nights, though, as long as you're not on a field exercise (typically 3-5 days at a time).
• Initial Trade Training - You'll get a lot more personal time and weekends off are the norm, but you'll be under a curfew during the working week because you're still considered to be under training.
• Exercises - The quantity of these and opportunity to call family will depend heavily on your role and where you are posted. But honestly, they fly by, and you get paid extra for the inconvenience!
• Operations - These are quite few and far apart at the moment, but can change without much notice. Normally, you'll be away from home for 6 months, if you can't call home you'll be able to, as a minimum, write home. In my experience there has only been 1-2 days at a time where I've been unable to make a video call. You'll get paid extra and get extra leave for these, though, which compensates for it. Ops can be tough if you've got a major life event happening at home.

I hope that sheds some light for you.

09 February, 2026 19:52